The present invention relates to a job management technology in an information system including a plurality of servers.
There is a system in such a mode that data are allocated on an array disk device (which will hereinafter be termed a shared disk) that can be shared among servers. In this type of system, a plurality of servers shares information used for operations (which will hereinafter be referred to as jobs) executed by the respective servers with each other through the shared disk.
FIG. 1 shows an example of this type of conventional system architecture. In the conventional system, as in FIG. 1, for instance, data of the job executed by a server A is written to the shared disk. On the other hand, data of the job executed by a server B is read from the shared disk. An execution order of the jobs having such a dependent relationship has hitherto been set as a rule (schedule), thus conducting the operation.
This type of system aims the point at only the data used for the job but does not direct the point to control of the job. Further, when the job operation is performed by the plurality of servers, items of schedule information of the job are allocated to the respective servers, each server operates the job, and there is prepared a management server that manages the job schedules of all the servers in a concentrated manner. Then, the management server concentratedly schedules the jobs of other servers. In this mode, in case of a stop of the server managing the jobs in a concentrated manner, the schedule of the jobs can not be implemented between the servers transferring and receiving the data mutually and thus linking up with each other, thereby hindering the job operation.
Thus, such a technology (Systemwalker (registered trademark) etc.) has hitherto existed that a certain specified server manages the schedule information of the jobs in a concentrated manner. A batch (jobs) operated by the plurality of servers is thereby built up. If the server managing the schedule information of the jobs in a concentrated manner stops for some reason, however, there stops the job operated by the plurality of servers in a way that links up these servers with each other.
Further, the schedule information of the job might exist also, not limited to the management server, in the server executing the job. Hence, there is a necessity of, in maintenance such as backing up and restoring the system, backing up and restoring the job schedule information existing in all the servers.                [Patent document 1] Japanese Examined Patent Publication No.7-101407        [Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 55-037626        [Patent document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3516049        [Patent document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-282551        